Bachmann wins state auctioneering championship

Andrew Bachmann, of Bachmann Auctioneers in Perham, is the 2013 Minnesota State Auctioneers Association Champion Auctioneer.

He won the title at the 25th annual auctioneer championship in St. Cloud, Minn. on Jan. 17.

Bachmann, a Frazee resident, competed against 23 other contestants from Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin.

He, along with his brother, Austin, and their father, Vince, are the first father and two sons to all have won the Minnesota State Auctioneers Championship.

"It was a great experience," he said in a telephone interview on Monday. "Any time you get an opportunity to win something of this caliber, it's a great experience. Being able to follow in not only Austin's footsteps, but our dad's footsteps, is pretty exciting."

It was Andrew's third time competing. He made it to the finals in 2007 and 2008, then took a break for a few years before giving it another go. He's had his auctioneering license since June of 2004, after graduating from the Worldwide College of Auctioneering in Mason City, Iowa.

But his experience with auctioneering began long before that.

"I've been in and around the business my entire life," he said. "I grew up with it."

Today, Andrew spends most of his weekends in the spring and summer auctioneering with Bachmann Auctioneers. In addition, he works full-time as a police officer for the city of Frazee, and part-time for the city of Detroit Lakes.

The state Auctioneers Championship consisted of one round of selling, followed by a final round in which the top five contestants conducted live on-stage interviews with three industry-related questions, and then one more round of selling.

The contest was judged by a panel of five judges. Contestants were judged individually on their chant, presentation, clarity and overall salesmanship.

As the winner, Bachmann will go on to compete at the national convention in Indianapolis, Ind. in July.

"It'll be a good time," he said of nationals. "I'll just keep practicing and go in there with a can-do attitude."